Monthly Archives: March 2014

From time to time people ask me stuff like “How did you learn to sew?” or “What kind of sewing machine should I get?” A question I’ve been meaning to address for a while is:

“How do you store your doll clothes?”

There are probably more doll clothes than people clothes in my house. Smaller wardrobes and sets (like the 1940s collection, for instance) get stored in clear plastic bins by collection. Random things I make get stored in large bins categorized by doll, and sometimes divided up in the bins with bags. Like a large bin for AGs might have bags inside of skirts, shirts, pants, etc.

I’m embarrassed to admit my dolls generally sit around the house…unclothed. Apparently they’ve discovered that if they stick around in one outfit too long I stop sewing for them, but if they don’t have anything on it urges me to sew something. They usually wear a new outfit for a week or so and then it goes in a bin. It’s not the best system ever, since stuff gets wrinkled and then I have to iron it if they ever want to wear it again.

I’d love to know how you store yours! You can share as a comment or on https://www.facebook.com/wrenfeathers. While you’re there, check out the adorable dress Eva Lotta resized for her Paola Reina!

Speaking of resizing, a huge thank you to Marlene who helped with the Ballerina/Ice-skater conversion to AG size for Isabelle. Both sizes are now included in the pattern, and if you already have it in the smaller size and want the AG pattern pieces just email me!

And yet more resizing…in fact, a free tutorial and pattern for this hoodie in 14″ doll size

In fact, I have succumbed to temptation and purchased a couple myself, and I like them a lot. They do however, violate my personal rule that the only reason to have a doll is to sew and craft for it.

I have a couple of other minor issues with them:

First of all, they look like they were sewn by hand, when in fact, the designs are printed on them.

There is not a whole lot of ethnic diversity in their product line

Their name seems to imply that they would be soft and squishy. Does anyone remember Puffalumps? They were super squishy, whereas the Mooshkas are firmly stuffed.

Their clothes match their bodies so well that it seems pointless to sew for them. Anything you could make would never match as well as the outfits they come in.

So, in case you haven’t guessed yet, I made something kind of similar that you can sew for. It has a flatter profile, more like a paper doll, lacking the gussets and 3-D shape of the mooshkas which makes it easier to sew and more “homemade” looking. It’s also larger, with thicker limbs and less tightly stuffed, to be more huggable. One of the best parts of making this was choosing fun colors for skin, eyes and hair. What about making her as a fairy with green or blue or purple skin and flower-petal pigtails? She’s holding one of the new smaller mooshkas available at Target right now. I machine embroidered her face, but had such problems with the stitch density and puckering that if I ever make another it will be with a painted or hand-embroidered face.

Did you miss me? Probably you didn’t notice I was gone… 🙂 Just as my neck was finally feeling better enough to sew after my car accident, I was drowned in IEP paperwork and parent-teacher conferences, so you’ve all been craftier than me lately! Here are some new ideas people have shared to inspire you: (I did my best to link to their creators or where these were originally posted, if one of these is yours and doesn’t link right please let me know!)

And Eva-Lotta did a very nice job sewing faux leather to make this toasty jacket and skirt for her KnC:

Marge made the Fall gathered pocket skirt for Spring. Modeling it is her new Toys R Us Journey Girl, and if you’ve ever debated getting an inexpensive 18″ doll you just can’t go wrong with them. They are leaps and bounds nicer than the Target dolls, and cost only a little more (around $32). All of them have beautiful face sculpts and eyes, with a solid neck plate which allows for wearing tank tops without a fabric body showing AND gives them tilt-able heads. Added bonus? They’re a bit smaller than AGs, so if you make something that comes out a little too tight, the JGs are thrilled to have it. 🙂

Carol made two sizes of the Navajo outfit to go with a storyline for AG and H4H. She says “This is my imagining of the Route 66 adventure Molly went on, and that the little Navajo girl, whose clothes Molly admired, actually gave her an outfit to wear!”

Can you guess what pattern this next one came from?

Believe it or not, Elisana used the Halloween pattern to make this cute reversible jacket! (Click pix to see more on her blog)

Speaking of Facebook, Jasmine was in Chichicastenango, Guatemala for the last contest. Kayla and Clemetine were “vacationing” there when they met her and they made a scrapbook of their travels you can print and fold into a doll-size book. Folding instructions are here scroll to the page that says: “Folding the magazines and diary”

And an embroidery design I digitized based on photos of the “real thing”. One will fit in a 4×4 hoop, but requires re-hooping. The other is for a 5×7. I think I have a way to post these now, so you don’t have to email me for them, let’s hope this works!!